Project Planning & Control

Prof. Koshy Varghese

Lecture – 09
Lesson – 03
Tools for Time Management

(Refer Slide Time: 00:19)

Now, we move into this topic of the time management tools. So, the identifying these
activities are really a critical part of being able to apply the tool, without identifying activities
we cannot, there is not much we can actually manage. So, here I have listed some of the
common tools, which are around and we will be covering quite a few of this, but I am starting
of the basic one lists or a calendar. Do we consider calendar is a time management tool?

Student: It is most basic

It is most basic; a diary is the time management. We will go on to bar charts and Gantt charts;
that is in the next lecture. It is a slightly more sophisticated way of time management. Go into
critical path method gets even more involved a little more detailed than bar charts, go into
something like program evaluation review technique or PERT, now you getting little
probabilistic, Monte-Carlo simulation. Again more, again probabilistic and representing
uncertainty, linear scheduling method or location based management system.
Now, you are bringing in a slightly different view to scheduling. Theory of constraints,
dependency structure matrix, the lists goes on. The challenge again here, which tool do I use
so which job.

Student: ((Refer Time: 01:51))

So, a lot of time is tempting to use a complex tool or even a simple job saying, because of
the, what do you say the charm in using a complex tool. So, we have seen many projects in
which the team would say I would like to use pert because it is probabilistic modeling and I
have a lot of uncertainty in my project, so I wanted to use the most sophisticated technique.
But, might not be justified, but I want to use Monte-Carlo simulation because it really
simulates my project, but the overhead of running Monte-Carlo simulation overhead of
getting data to run Monte-Carlo simulation, just really does not justify the using the tool.

So, the utility of the results you get out of it is just not that. So, the root we should probably
use here is using the simplest tool, which can get your job was done and this again is not,
how would you say it, it is not that simple to execute. You have actually to develop a good
judgment or what is a right tool for your kind of work. Any questions or suggestions or points
on this?

(Refer Slide Time: 03:07)

Let us go to the simple tool. How many of you do lists? 1, 2, 3, four everyone, everyone is
good time management, people, everyone does lists.

Student: ((Refer Time: 03:21))

So, this to-do list is a very common part of our time management tool. Does it really do time
management? What is the time dimension in the To-do list?

Student: Start activities are there.

Is there at time aspect to-do tool?

Student: If you associate time, the deadlines with them ((Refer Time: 04:25)).

If you put to do on a calendar, then there is a time aspect tool. If you do to do without a
calendar, basically there is in this window of time you need to do so many things. There is
no; there is a kind of an implied time management in it, but basically what is a list now. The
list is activities which you have to do to achieve something, which you want to in that week
or in that day or whatever.

So, you are doing activity identification, you are listing the activity, you are not putting a
specific time on of it, all of it and like I said we do the list, but a lot of times you doing the
planning, you are not doing the monitoring or the control. All you are doing the planning you
are doing the monitoring and control only in the very, very, very last minute, which tends to
upset your other plans. Now, what is the difference between a to-do list and a calendar tool?.

A calendar certainly has, you have a time dimension on your activity and the time dimension
again it is a single time dimension usually, saying that you are going to, you have the start
typically on a calendar we enter on this day I do this, you might have a duration also, so that
is what the calendar.
(Refer Slide Time: 05:56)

And again the calendar is gone from it is a paper from to highly sophisticated electronic
forms, that will do all kinds of things for you if you are willing to do.

(Refer Slide Time: 06:09)

So, I would like to take this discussion now, back to our earlier example, which tool would
you use for what or do you need something more sophisticated. Take the industrial lecture,
what is the tool you would use, is a to-do list in a for what is, how would you actually, now I
am getting into a little more detail. Last time we identified the activities, calendar for the
industrial lecture, what could you do on the calendar.

Student: Starting from communication from the lecture speaker, as we confirm by this date.
So, you would take dates, and you would say that what you could do on each date, what you
should achieve by each date would be done. You would also probably say when should I start
something and by surely when should lists be taken care, what is the… Say you want to do an
industrial lecture schedule by in, let say two weeks time. You want to arrange for a lecture in
two weeks time, two weeks from today. What is the duration of your activities or to what
level of detail would you plan, daily or hourly?

Student: During the lecture, it should be an hourly basis.

During the lecture, so as you get closer to the lecture that you are going to get level five
schedule it will be hourly that means refreshment should arrive at specific time lecture should
start at a specific time should end this that all of these would be and have pickup the speaker
at a specific time It would be do hourly are even to the minute. But, I should send that letter
out the invitation letter should go it did does it need to be hourly no it can be daily probably
you can't have a week it can be daily it should go by this day it does not matter it goes I mean
shouldn't matter it goes 9 o'clock or by 5 o'clock by this day I should send it you are giving
enough of a buffer on that for various, various uncertainties on that day is enough.

But, you cannot afford to use day in the in the final details when you go to the last part of
your lecture you cannot afford to use that. So, calendar is okay and not being, so complex you
can still write down the schedule in a written form you do not need that when you get into the
only thing a calendar is got final your calendars went from a daily calendar to an hourly
calendar as you get to the final sequence of the lecture, when you go into field trip it is the
same calendar.

CEAFEST lot of it is calendar can calendar can take a lot of preliminary activities, but the
challenge, now is you are going to have you are going to have multiple activities looking for
the same resource. So, all will be a required by 3, four events. So, I cannot afford just to say
okay hall is available I cannot afford. Can I plan events independently no I have to plan it and
see? So, you will actually need something little more sophisticated, than the calendar
something like a yeah something like a Gantt chart which we will cover.

But, yes you can do it with the calendar the color coding this that everything you could use it,
but we are looking for something more sophisticated when you go to a something like
Shaastra something like Gantt chart would be, or a bar chart would be adequate would be
adequate you do not need anything for more sophisticated. So, this is what we are going to
cover in the next class which is Gantt chart. We will understand how Gantt chart is a bit of
the history and how it is developed.

(Refer Slide Time: 10:05)

But, meanwhile what I would ask you to do is to actually take up any upcoming project are
involve with think we know whether it is an exam that is coming preparation for an exam and
resulting in exam or whatever you would like to think it whatever is coming up in the next
one month they will be a certainly be involved some project or the other I know some of you
involved with CEAFEST. Develop the work breakdown structure with the following aspects
in mind what are the time-related objectors what is a level of activity details are appropriate
what are the alternative structures for the work breakdown structure, which structure is more
appropriate for you and the team.

And the critical thing is to it to be able to identify organize activities you needed to plan
communicate and control the deliverables of the project from time perspective by looking
only from the time perspective, not the cost or anything else. So, I would like to discuss to a
kind of think about is, and we will discuss it in the continuing session.